Roe in Naruto's World
by CRT
Summary: Roe is a mysterious young girl who finds herself, once again, in the familiar world of shinobi. The question here is:What is she suppose to do? With no leads on her mission and nothing to do, Roe finds mixed emotions in dealing with the missions assigned.
1. You're so Old

1: You're so old

The trees around me quietly whisper secrets to each other as the wind works as a messenger, moving leaves from tree to tree to the ground. I step over sticks and rocks as I make my way through the forest. My hands shoved into my jean pockets and my hooded jacket up over my head makes for the perfect shield from the sun. I suddenly stop, sensing the change of wind.

Three men fall from the tree tops and circle me. They're drenched in black cloaks and hide behind colorful masks that resemble animals. I slowly pull my hands free from my pockets and wait.

One slowly breaks free from the rest, stepping in front of me. "Who goes there?" he holds out a kunai, ready to attack.

"I have an invitation…" I begin to reach for my pocket but stop as he lunges forward and holds the kunai to my throat. I twist sideways and offer my pocket to him which he slowly reaches into and pulls out a paper. He drops the kunai slowly and hands me back the paper.

"I don't know who you are or how you got this, but you're coming with us."

It took us a while to get into the village. With my hands tied in front of me and the three of them guarding me, I felt somewhat special. There were stares from people we passed by. Little kids were shielded by mothers who looked at us with curious eyes and suspicious glances. Whispers circled us and I smiled softly to a little girl who stared at me through blue eyes.

We finally came to the tall, red, dome shaped building. As we climbed the stairs, I began to wonder what was in store for me this time around. After a while of thinking, we came to familiar double doors and my mind went back to old memories. The two men on my sides both swung the doors open and the third pushed me inside.

The room was small, the whole wall opposite me were window overlooking the oh-so familiar village. A desk sat right in front of those windows with a chair in between them, it's back toward me. There was one other girl in the room. Her pink hair tied up into a ponytail. Her green eyes widened when she saw me and the man gripping my arm finally let go and addressed the person in the chair. "Sir, we found someone wandering around the village border. They have this with them." he hands the paper to the woman but she just stares a while longer before walking over to the chair. Handing the paper to the person, she backs up as he quickly stands and faces me.

His bright blue eyes grow wide and yellow hair stands on end. The familiar features of his face now changed with age. His face is now so firm, mature. His childish look no longer has a place on the mature man he now is, except…yeah, I can kind of see some of it… His arms extend and his smile grows into a laugh as he runs around the desk and lifts me off my feet, twirling me around.

"Roe! How long has it been? Years! I haven't seen you in years!" he laughs and drops a dizzy, giggling me onto the floor. He looks at my wrists and holds them up. "What's this for?" I shrug and he rips the ties off. I laugh while looking up at the tall man in front of me. I stand on my tip toes and ruffle his now long hair. "You've grown, Naruto, you're so old now!"


	2. Questions

2: Questions

I was suddenly attacked from my right side. A pink mess of tears and cries locked it's self onto me. "Roe…" The woman clung to me, pushing my face into her neck and her arms wrapped around my head. I push her off and gasp for air. "Sakura! You're gunna kill me!" she wipes the tears from her pale green eyes and stands tall. With her heels on, she's a whole head taller than me.

"Roe… there's so much we need to catch up on…"

"Yeah, but…" I look around him to the desk. It's piled with papers, books, and scrolls. "It looks like you have work to do… how about, I treat you to Ichiraku if you finish all your work?" I turn to Sakura, "I wanna meet everyone again, see how much has changed."

"A lot has changed, but also, not much…" Sakura looked over at Naruto who was drooling in thought. "Naruto!"

"Ah, H-hi?"

"Get back to work, the sooner you finish, the sooner we can all get together."

"But Sakura, it's Ichi-" Naruto froze at Sakura's glare and hurried back to his desk. I stiffed a laugh.

"Yuki, take Roe and show her around, you'll know where to find the other Jounin."

"I'm sure I know my way around." I quickly say before the guy at my side objects.

"A lot has changed in eight years, Roe." Sakura turned her back to us as she realized Naruto trying to climb out the window.

Yuki, as it turns out, is the guy who left five indents in my arm where he 'helped escorted me' to the Hokage's office. We quietly left the building with my humming and his head down. Right before we leave the building he spoke up. "So who are you? You seem to know our Hokage really well yet I've never seen you in our village before." He pulled his hood down and began working on the straps to his mask.

"Of course you wouldn't. I haven't been here in years." I begin to look around the familiar hallway and suddenly get the craving to walk out into the sun. "For me, though, it feels like yesterday."

"If you haven't been here in years and you know the Hokage so well… I'm confused." he pulls off his mask, revealing a young boy under the dark colors. I smile, turn, and open the big doors, welcoming sunlight.

We walk for a while in silence, me taking in every detail of the new village. The warm sun beat down on us and I begin to wish I would've left my hooded jacket in Naruto's office. "It's weird, you know?" I walk slower and let Yuki fall in line next to me. He's about the same height as me but looks younger. His big, pale blue eyes stare at me in question. "I've known Naruto since he was a kid. I always knew he was going to become Hokage someday, I never doubted that, but… I guess I'm just disappointed I missed so much of their lives. Can't be helped, though. They didn't need me. If they didn't need me…" I sighed, a little irritated that my rambling brought back the question that's been bothering me, "I wouldn't be here."


	3. Old People

3: Old People

We walked in silence for a while. The streets of the village familiar, yet different. The smells from all the stores and the sounds of talking and laughing made chills run over my skin. Just as we turned a corner, Yuki bumps into someone and falls back onto the ground. "Hey-" he stops as he notices who he bumped into.

The man was tall with spiked black hair pulled into a ponytail. His face was set in a carefree way that made him look a little intimidating as he looked down at us. Yuki quickly gets to his feet and bows at the man. "I'm sorry!"

"No-" the man stops dead in his tracks, his hand hovering over Yuki like he was about to ruffle his hair "…problem…" he watched me carefully, his eyes big. He snapped out of his daze, ruffled Yuki's hair, and turns toward me. "Haven't seen you in a while." He smiled and held a hand out to me.

"What are we, strangers?" I grab his hand and pull him into a hug. "I feel so short…" we pull away and I draw an imaginary line from the top of my head to his collarbone.

"You're just young…" he patted my head and smiled. I smiled back.

"You're right, I remember the younger you." I set my hand to my shoulder and laugh "little Shikamaru was about this tall."

His cheeks redden and he looks away. "Well back then you were older than us so it's not our fault…"

"Yeah, and now you are all old people. Hah, you'll wrinkle before me!"

"What little brats are calling us old?" We all look as someone walks around the corner, shoving Shikamaru out of the way. She stops, her face a few inches from mine. Her blue eyes stare into mine and her blond hair falls down her shoulders to her hips. Her eyes widen and she steps back in surprise. "Roe!" She squeals and crushes me in her arms. I stumble back and smile as we pull away. Suddenly, a large shadow hovers over us and Shikamaru, Ino and me all get pulled up off our feet into a big hug.

"Ugh, hi Choji…" he drops us and we all look at each other, smiling. We all exchange looks and silent recollections of memories. Each of us smile ear to ear, forgetting what my being here means, we all enjoy a few moments of peace while we still have the chance to.


	4. Snow

4: Snow

Yuki didn't bother talking as we made plans to meet at Ichiraku's. We all agreed to save further conversation for dinner tonight and parted with promise to meet up again. "I'll tell everyone that you're here!" Ino yelled as the walked away. I waved after them.

It wasn't until we came to the Academy did Yuki finally speak. "I don't get why I needed to come with you. You seem pretty capable of finding your way around the village." I shrug.

"You could leave if you want. I'm guessing you're staying out of curiosity."

"That may be it." his voice was bitter and I heard suspicion in his voice. I looked to the sky.

"You're welcome to come to dinner tonight. I'm not sure how much fun you'll have but the invitations' there."

"What makes you say it won't be fun?" he turned his head sideways at me, his eyes glimmer blue and his light, almost white hair glistened in the bright sunset.

"You're, what? sixteen?"

He recoiled in a questionable way. "And you're, what? Fourteen?"

I shake my head, "Fifteen. Do I really look fourteen?" I turned back an looked at the old school building as shadows begin to creep across it. "Strange, I've passed for twenty-one before. Never have I been mistaken as younger than I actually am."

"I assumed because you act like it." he turned away from the school and began heading back into the village.

"Yuki." I stay staring at the building and roll the word in my mind.

"What?"

"Yuki. Your name means snow." I watched as the sun set, etching the image into my mind like all the others.

"And…?"

"That's why I don't think you'll have fun at the party."

"Because my name means… snow?"

I finally turn to him, now with the moon in the sky and the sun somewhere beyond our sight. "When's the last time you've seen snow in the land of fire?"


	5. Chapter 5

5: My Mistake

The night was full of laughter and joy. Everyone laughed in disbelief that they were all once shorter than me who was now at shoulder height to almost everyone.

"And you," I pointed to a laughing Sakura, her hair high in a pony that brushed her shoulder blades, "last time I saw you, your hair was hardly at your shoulders!"

"I remember that!" Ino pointed out. "I cut my hair right after that!" She downed another drink.

"It seems the only one who didn't cut their hair was Hinata over there!" Sakura rose her glass to the woman in the corner, spilling some sake on her skirt in the process.

"I just cut it…" Hinata mumbled while petting her long black hair. It looked the same as when she was fifteen with the rest of us. The only thing that changed about her was her womanly figure and louder voice.

"The one who really needs to cut their hair," Kiba jumped in with a clawed finger pointed at the man across the table sitting quietly sipping tea "is Neji!"

Everyone began snickering as Neji choked on the green liquid. Just as he was about to reply, Sai jumped in with his quiet, even voice "Yes, but at least Neji brushes his hair." He turned to an angry looking kiba, his hair wild and long. Everyone burst out laughing.

Once everyone was stumbling home, Naruto and I were left standing in front of the closed restaurant, waving goodbye to Sakura, Ino and Choji. "So, Roe…" Naruto's voice was now sober. I turn to him, still not used to looking up at a boy, forgetting he is now a man. "Do you know why you're here?"

I sighed and grabbed his arm and we begin to walk away from the joyful evening. "I still hate being shorter than you." I begin chuckling. "I was there when you were born. You were so small… When no one would play with you as a kid, you have no idea how much I wanted to yell at everyone in the village. I felt like a big sister that was stuck behind a glass wall. I was finally glad when you found friends in the academy. And when you went training with that old perv…"

"Pervy Sage?"

I nod. "He was like your first family member. He practically was I mean, he basically named you."

"He was like my grandfather."

"The same way Tsunade was like your grandmother? I remember you called her 'Grandma Tsunade'."

Naruto smiled, "I still do."

"Everyone in the village was your family, _is_ your family. I didn't want to leave you guys but by the time you were the 'Hero of Konoha', you didn't need me anymore."

Naruto was quiet for a long time as we walked through the village that slept. The moon's dim light was our only path through the quiet streets. "I never understood, why you were here in the first place."

I laughed at that. "Why does anyone exist?" I throw the question out there to distract from the topic.

"You told me once," Naruto stopped and looked up at the moon. I fallowed his gaze and watched a star run across the sky like a tear running down a cheek. "That everyone has a purpose for living."

"Naruto, I forget that you're older now."

"Because the last time you saw me I was sixteen and a shorty?"

"Because the last time I saw you it was seven months ago. It's been eight years for you."

"Roe, you still haven't ansered my question."

"I don't know. Naruto, the last time I was here, I had all the answers, I was so much more mature and I knew what was going on. Back then, you probably remember me as that amazing big sister." I run my fingers through my hair, pulling it away from my face. "Now, I'm sure you understand more?"

"Sort of."

"I told you what I was there for last time, right?"

Naruto nods and summarizes: " You said you were on a secret mission and no one could find out about it. I simply thought you were a shinobi from another village at first." he paused and looked at me with a little question in hie eyes. "After I came back from training, we were all sixteen where as you didn't seem to have aged a day."

"That's because I didn't. Not really, anyway."

"Wah!" Naruto stops, throws his hands in the air and ruffles his hair "This is so confusing!"

"I'm sorry." I laugh at his childish gesture. For a moment he seemed like he was the one who hasn't changed. I think for a while and look back up at the sky. "There are other worlds out there. Other things and people that exist. I'm not going to say they shouldn't exist, because that's not exactly the case. My job, my _mission_ is to keep things in order between worlds that should never clash.

The tailed beasts are creatures that formed because things came into this world that shouldn't have. It was fine for a while because they were mainly creatures consisting of elements from your world so they were left alone." I look over at him to make sure he was fallowing. I almost expected a face that was lost and questioning everything I had just said, but instead he was still and quiet. He watched me with intent blue eyes that glowed in the moon's light. I turned back at the sky. "And then, the Nine-Tails got infected."

"Infected?" Naruto held his stomach cautiously.

"In a way, yes. When I get assigned missions, I simply wake up in the world I'm suppose to help and find out what to do from there. I was like a ghost in this world. I had nothing to do so I watched over the person who was the nine-tail's Jinjuriki. I had a feeling something was going to happen so I watched over her. I watched her fall in love. I watched as she got the news she was pregnant. I didn't know what was going to happen when she had the baby. I didn't know anyone was in any danger. At that point, I didn't know the Nine-Tails was going to get infected. I wasn't sure there was even other world's involvement here." I quietly watched the sky, my stomach twisting into a knot. "Naruto, there's something I've been wanting to tell you. I think now may be the right time, you may be old enough to understand now."

I turned to him, his eyes still bright but this time, worry lingered in his look. He tensed when he heard the apology in my voice. "Naruto, I'm sorry. I'm the reason the Kyuubi went berserk and killed all those people when you were born. Your parents died because of my mistake."


	6. What Really Happened Back Then

6: What Really Happened Back Then

"It was right about when you were born. Literally. Your mom was taken to a place far outside the village because childbirth is the only thing that can weaken the seal.

I was waiting outside, thinking everything was going to go fine but then I felt something. It was a presence from another world and I didn't have time to react or locate where it was coming from. The ANBU that were stationed outside were attacked and because of the state I was in, I couldn't help."

"What do you mean, 'by the state you were in'?" Naruto watched me carefully, obviously trying to understand and make sense of what I was saying.

"Like I said, I was like a ghost. I'm there, body and all, but no one can see or hear me. That's what I meant by watching you grow up through a glass wall. It happens sometimes. I assume it means I have to watch what is going on because the events taking place are meant to happen without interference." We stop walking and take a seat on a bench under a tree that blocked the moon. The wind blew but I didn't feel the cold as I recalled the memories.

"Someone came and took you from your parents. I was rushing into the cave and couldn't tell who it was but it was a hooded man with a mask. He held you hostage and wanted Kushina for the Nine-Tails. He used you as a distraction and when Minato went to save you, he teleported you to safety. Once he was gone, the man took Kushina away. I felt the power surging from him so I fallowed them to the outskirts of the village.

Once the man extracted the Nine-Tails, Minato came and saved Kushina, teleporting her back to safety with you. Right when they left, I watched as the man gave the Kyuubi something that shouldn't exist in this world." I picked up a leaf that lay on the bench next to me and held it up to Naruto. "It wasn't any bigger than this, but it caused so much damage." I played with the leaf, lost in though. I was waiting to let everything I've said so far sink in. Naruto just pushed the topic.

"What was it?"

I shook my head. "I can't tell you. You wouldn't understand. Just know that It caused a mutation in the Kyuubi. It made him more violent, and since Madara had given it to him, he was completely under Madara's control."

"I thought that Madara controlled the Nine-Tails by his sharingan?"

"Yes, but this amplified his power over the Kyuubi. It also made it stronger." I ripped the leaf I held in half. The knot in my stomach churned and I began ripping the pieces in half again…and again…and again…

"How is that your fault?"

"It's my job to keep that stuff from happening. I should've known something was wrong. I might have been able to warn someone, maybe prevent all those deaths."

"You said no one could see or hear you, right? Then there's nothing you could have done."

I look up into his eyes. The moon now high over our heads penetrated the tree's branches and leaves, casting shadows over us. Naruto smiled. "You're too forgiving." this time, I was surprised as Naruto reached over and ruffled my hair.

"You're too young to understand." We laugh. Finally he gets up to leave and asks if I was going to fallow. I shake my head and fold my legs under me as I sit criss-cross on the bench. I watch him leave and as I look up at the sky, mixed bittersweet emotions pool in my heart.

"On the contraire, I have outlived most of my friends whom I watched grow up from birth."


	7. Mission1:Escorting Brats: 1:Babysitting

Mission #1: Escorting Brats

1: Babysitting

I expected more. I lined up next to three kids and waited for Naruto to assign our C-rank mission. I watched as he went through files and papers, looking for our mission.

"Ah, here it is!" He held up a paper and began summarizing it's contents. "Your mission is to escort the young man, Kaito to his village in the land of Water. He will be waiting at the gates and you will leave here within the hour."

"Yes sir!" The three little kids at my side bowed and walked out of the room with determined looks.

"Hey… Naruto…?" I aproched his desk slowly, like as if he were a cat I was sneaking up on. He looked up at me over papers.

"Yeah?"

"What are you thinking?" I slap my hand on his desk and papers fly up around me.

"I thought you were going to go on a mission…" He backed up with his hands out as if I was going to hurt him. He looked like a little kid, like back when Sakura got mad at him when he did something stupid.

"You put me in charge of four little kids to go on a field trip to the land of water! Have you forgotten? What if something goes wrong and I'm not here? I still don't know what I'm suppose to do and I can't waist time playing baby sitter." I find my hands at my hips and slowly drop them to my sides, trying to get a hold of my irritation.

"Roe, you have nothing to do in the mean time." Naruto began organizing the papers that were never in order to begin with. "If something happens, we're all here" he looked around the room. Sakura talking to Shikamaru by the doorway and Sai watching me. His expression blank as he stood like a statue, obviously in the middle of signing a paper before my outburst caught his attention. I stuck my tongue out at him and turned back to Naruto.

"If things would be fine with just you guys, I wouldn't be here. Even if you were to send me out on a mission to help the village in the meantime, shouldn't it be on something like an S-rank mission? You've never really seen me fight seriously."

Naruto kept shuffling papers and shook his head. "There aren't a lot of S-ranked missions going on at the moment. All the countries are still on good terms since the war so a lot of the missions that are available are small, simple missions. Besides, I think you should take responsibility."

I laughed. "Is this really Naruto speaking? You sounded so mature just now!" I folded my arms "And what do I need to take responsibility for?"

"Last night, Lee drank." he looked up at me and I raised an eyebrow.

"He didn't seem it. I distinctly remember him being weak to alcohol when he was young."

"He got used to it. Bushy-brow got sick last night so it's your responsibility to take over his team for today."

"And him being sick from drinking too much is my fault, how?"

"The party was for you."

I raised my hands and backed away a step "Hey, I didn't tell all yall to drink! I didn't even know you all drank that much!"

"Once in a while" Sakura walked over and put her arm around my shoulder. I backed away trying not to make me gasping for non-perfumed air so obvious. "Lee built up resistance over the years. Last night was the most he's drank in a long time. Now he's sick and his team need a leader so your filling in." She smiled at me. I stiffed a laugh. It was the same smile she used on Naruto when she said 'shut up or I'll kill you' without really saying anything.

I sighed and dug around my belt pocket, finally pulling out a bead. "Take this and smash it if anything goes wrong." I looked Naruto in the eye and then back at Sakura, all joking aside. I set the small creamy colored bead down on the desk and back away slowly. Once I reach the door, I turn, put my hands behind my head and take a deep breath. "Now wish me luck while I go off to baby-sit!"


	8. 2 : A Long Beginning

2: A Long Beginning

**Hana**

She's really pretty. Roe, I mean. Her hair is really long, pulled into a smooth brown braid down her back. Her eyes are big and bright, though sometimes she looks like she's thinking about something that is far away. She looks like a grown up, like Miss Sakura but when she looked at all of us in the face, I could tell she wasn't that much older than my big sister. Her outfit is funny and she doesn't look like a ninja except for her headband which she tied around her upper right thigh. Other than the spacey weirdness , she looks like a nice person. I hope she is. Haru says she's mean and crazy because she yelled and the Hokage. I think she's just friendly with him like Miss Sakura and Hinata sensei.

We all lined up in front of the gates and I jumped up and down, excited about the mission. Lee sensei must be really sick because he's never sick and for Miss Roe to be able to replace Lee sensei, she should be a good teacher.

**Haru**

I don't like her. she stared down at us and smiled but I could tell she didn't mean it. I don't think she's a respectable ninja the way she yelled at the Hokage. No one does that except Miss Sakura. Who does she think she is?

Her ugly dirt brown hair is tied in some sort of braid down her back and her clothes look like she's confused. Her pants are light blue and are tight. She wears tall black boots that lace up and stop half way up her shins and they're smeared with mud, making them more brown than black. Her shirt is just a black fabric that wraps around her neck and comes down to the rest of her body, forgetting her tan shoulders and arms, leaving them exposed except for fingerless gloves that come halfway up her forearm. Her black jacket that looks like an ANBU cloak dangles in her arm as she turns in circles looking for the person we're suppose to guard. The stupidest thing about her, though is her belt.

**Ryou**

I don't think much about her. Hana seems to like her a lot and Haru seems to despise her. I, however seem to maintain my place as the neutral person on our team. She doesn't seem all that bad, I assume she isn't the way she talks with the other Jounin like they're old friends. She herself doesn't seem that old. She seems older until you actually look at her. She can't be more than sixteen.

The one thing about her, though, that did interest me was her belt. It doesn't look like anything I've ever seen. It's buckle seems to be a square button and on each hip she has a pocket that has another smaller pocket on it. And behind those, pockets and pouches of all different sizes. I could tell a fan sticking out of a long thin one and a small one near her front that looked like it held a lighter. She had a small tube slipped into another pocket on her right side that I assume holds poison. What ninja carries all their weapons out in the open like that? Not to mention her choice of weapons… I wonder what kind of fighter she is.

**Roe**

They all stared at me like little creeps. The little girl bounced up and down, her orange curls bouncing with her. Her eyes were big and blue and she looked me up and down. One little boy watched me through dark, hateful eyes. His arms folded over his chest and his black hair fell in his little boy face. He simply looked angry. The last one kept pushing his glasses up on his face while staring at my belt. I could tell what he was looking at only by guessing because he hid his eyes behind the glare of the glasses. The only feature I could point out on him is his brown hair that stuck to his head in small, detailed curls.

I smiled at them which only seemed to irritate the little boy, Haru. Hana just smiled and stopped her jumping and the boy with the glasses, Ryou, didn't even notice I looked at him. I gave up and looked around for the last part of our happy little group. I finally spotted a guy walking toward us. You had to have been an idiot to miss him.

His hair was bright blond and his eyes were a piercing blue. He strode in a manner that suggested complete confidence and arrogance. The smirk on his face and manner of his clothes bothered me. His shirt, a bright baby blue cotton-looking fabric that matched his eyes and pants that were black, laced with silky blue trimming. They almost looked like some sort of ceremonial robes except something told me he dressed this fancy all the time. He ran his fingers through his hair as he approached and it glided back and stayed in place that way, exposing his small blue eyes and pale face more.

Even with one word, I could hear a slight accent as he held his hand out "Hello." I held mine out with a smile but he took my hand, turned it over, and kissed my knuckles. I pulled back and immediately wished for some disinfectant. "My, what a beautiful young lady, are you sure you're my body guard? Surely, you're too fragile?" he bowed and didn't wait for my response as he turned to the three kids at my side. "And here, another beautiful young lady!" he bowed deep and kissed Hana's hand as well, smiled at her red little face, and then went on to ruffle the boy's hair "You must be the men of this team." Haru seemed to brighten up but Ryou stayed with his neutral expression of boredom.

"I assure you, we are a very capable team. My name is Roe. This is Haru, Ryou, and Hana." I point to the three kids and stiff a smile.

"I'm Haru. He's Ryou." The boy with the black hair glared at me.

"Sorry, I'm bad with names."

"I'm sure you will not forget my name." The guy smiled at me and waited expectantly.

"I'm sorry, actually, I didn't catch it."

"It is Kaito." he smiled, not looking as offended as I though he would be. I smiled back and nodded, hoping we could get rid of him as soon as possible.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and gestured towards the doors. "Shall we get going?" I waited as the other three hoisted their bags onto their backs. We then stared at Kaito who looked at us questionably. "Did you, forget something?"

"No, I was just wondering who was going to carry my things."

It took a while for us to leave. Every second crushed me. We weren't even that far into the walk when all of them began bothering me with questions.

"So, are you friends with the Hokage?" Haru glared up at me with piercing dark eyes.

"Yeah, we're friends."

"How did you know him? Is he something like a big brother to you?" Hana jumped in with her small little girl voice.

"In a way, I guess now he is." I laugh while saying the words. Funny, how the thought had crossed my mind before. I was bumped down from big sister to little sister in a matter of months. "It's a complicated topic."

"Why?" Haru stared up at me, waiting for an answer.

"Because."

"That's not a reason."

"You wouldn't understand."

"I would if you told me."

"But I'm not going to."

"Is it complicated because you were once a rogue ninja?" Hana twirled her fingers behind her back and watched me with big blue eyes as she asked the question.

"What? No, where did you get that idea?"

"Because I've never seen you around the village and never heard of you until yesterday."

"Maybe she was on a secret mission for years and just got back recently." Ryou chimed in while pushing up his glasses.

"That's stupid. Who goes on a mission for years?"

"It's just a theory."

"Maybe she was with another country and came to the hidden leaf. You know how the countries are trading ninja since the war."

"I-" I begin to reply but Ryou cut me off with some comment on the war. None of them seemed to acknowledge my presence anymore.

"She's a rogue ninja!"

"I don't think she's strong enough to be a rogue."

"Maybe that's why she came back?"

"Idiot, they don't just let rogue ninja back into the village!"

"Since when has there been rogue ninja anyway?"

"Yeah, they're all old."

"She looks old."

"She's probably not even older than Aiko."

"But she's friends with all the Jounin! They're all twice her age!"

"Maybe she's secretly old…"

I fall behind them and watch as all of them continue their arguing. _They're not even on the lookout for danger._ I sigh, hoping the mission would be over soon.

"So are any of the stories true?" Kaito fell In line next to me. The other three walked a little ahead in a row and I tried not to listen to their crazy assumptions.

"Except for me being friends with all the Jounin, no. I'm not rogue and I'm not from another village. The whole thing is complicated." I pause and realise the three in front of us are quiet. _Now you want the story._ "Actually, it happens to be confidential between a selected few. I can't tell you even if I wanted. All you need to know is I'm a loyal ninja from the village hidden in the leaves and I was away for a while but now I'm back."

Everyone was silent for a while as we walked. The sun was high and bright and the leaves of the Forrest around us made for a soothing walk. Then the little brats had to ruin it.

"So, why do you dress like that?"


	9. 3 : What's Going On?

3: What's Going On?

"She didn't see the one behind her until the whistle of the blade swinging through the air came at her. She turned, blocked the blade with her own and stepped toward the man. He was surprised and caught off guard with her defense but continued.

She blocked every charge and waited until the right moment to strike. As his blade came close, she stepped to the side, making him fall forward, and took a step toward him, her blade at his throat."

"Did she kill him?"

I shook my head no. "She needed him alive, to tell her the information she needed to know."

"What did she ask him?" Hana's eyes were big. She listened intently on what I was going to say.

"Ah, I'm not going to tell you."

"Why not?"

"It's late." I look up at the stars and calculate the time by the moon. "We're almost to the Great Naruto Bridge. I'll finish the story later, I'm stopping here for tonight."

"Awww…." Hana whined, "I want to know what happened to Starfire!" she rolled onto her side as we all settled into our sleeping bags near the dim fire. I breathed a laugh and lay down looking at the sky.

"She won't finish it because she's running out of stories." Haru's voice was bitter. I laughed again.

"Don't worry, I'm creating a new story as we speak."

It was sunny and warm. The sky was clear and blue but I couldn't help think that something was wrong. I walked a little ways behind everyone, Hana and Ryou walking at the front, Haru asking Kaito about his home. It was peaceful and quiet, no care at the moment and we all walked lazily on the dirt road that was surrounded by trees. I closed my eyes for a second, then I heard Hana.

"Roe!" her voice was high pitched, obviously full of concern. I was at her side in a second.

"What's wrong?" I pushed past Kaito and Haru that hovered behind Hana and Ryou. In the road was a body lying across the ground. I instinctively put my hands over Hana and Ryou's eyes and pulled them away from the scene. They shoved my hand away, obviously annoyed.

"Is he okay?" Kaito sounded sick and I didn't bother to turn and look at him. I shook my head.

"He's dead."

"How do you know?" Kaito walked up next to me. "You didn't even try to check if he's okay." He began to walk to the body but I put my hand out, stopping him.

"I can tell just by looking." Everyone was quiet for a moment. I tilted my head to the side to try to listen to the trees better. I put my arms out and forced everyone back.

"What're you doing?" Haru shoved at my arm but I held my ground. Someone fell from the trees and stepped between us and the body. They were wearing a colorful mask and a black cloak that covered their shoulders. Their hands were at their sides but I noticed the gleam of a kunai against their blue pants. Their headband was dangling around their neck and it shone in the sun like the kunai. The symbol was for the mist.

"I'm guessing that belongs to you?" I say while still holding everyone behind me. The person slowly nods but continues to stare at me. I nod towards the body and the man slowly puts the kunai back in his pocket. With one swift move, he lifts the body over his shoulder and disappears into the trees.

"That was a mist village ninja." Kaito's voice was quiet. I nod in response and begin to walk again.

"Roe, what was that about?" Hana begins to walk closer to me. I feel everyone's eyes glued to the spot where the body was. A dab of blood smeared into the dirt was all that was left. I was the only one who didn't look.

"I don't know, Hana."

"Roe…" Ryou walked up next to me and pushed his glasses up while talking in a matter of fact voice. "That man who was killed. He wasn't a shinobi."

"I know." I quicken my pace and everyone begins to keep up. We were all quiet until we began seeing the bridge in the distance. I narrow my eyes and try to see further. Nothing seemed to be out of place. Nothing wrong and the feeling I had earlier was gone.

"Roe, what's going on? Why would they kill someone who isn't even a shinobi? What's the purpose?"

"I don't know, Ryou." We begin to walk again and I mutter under my breath a mental note to myself "But I'm going to find out."


	10. 4 : I Know What I'm Doing

4 : I Know What I'm Doing

I yelled at Hana and Ryou to stay away from the edge of the boat but they simply looked at me like I was crazy. Haru sat next to me and watched my every move with hateful eyes.

"What's your problem?" I finally turn to him. He looked a little surprised but folded his arms in response. "Why are you staring at me?"

"I don't like you."

"I kinda figured that out."

"You're rood."

"You're one to talk." I folded my arms, mimicking him. Kaito laughed at us and turned back to the sea, obviously enjoying the breeze and surrounding water.

"Why do you talk to the Hokage like Miss Sakura does?"

"Why does it bother you so much?" Haru's face grew red in frustration and I laughed. "We're all real good friends, me and the older ninja. I already told you that." I ruffled his hair and smiled "Don't let little things bother you so much.

"Roe!" Hana ran over to me with Ryou fallowing. "How much longer until we get there?"

"Well not much longer, actually. We're almost there." Kaito jumped in the conversation. He smiled and I could tell he looked less pale. I remember reading somewhere that people born near specific places tend to get sick while away from their element.

"Good, because I'm getting a little seasick." Ryou held his stomach while pushing up his glasses.

"Here, watch the ocean." Kaito lead him to the railing of the boat and they both looked over the edge. I continued to stand with my back to the edge and watched the opposite side of the small ship.

"Roe…" Ryou backed away from the ledge and tugged on my shirt.

"Hm?" I turned to look at him. He stared at the sea and his expression was pale. "Oh, no, don't throw up!" I lead him to the railing again but he just shook his head and pointed.

From all around, something big and black moved under the surface of the water on the horizon. It was coming closer and slow but it sent a familiar shiver down my spine. I pulled Ryou away from the railing and everyone backed up with us.

"Hana, Ryou, Protect Kaito!" I pushed Kaito toward Ryou and Hana came up on their side and grabbed Kaito's wrist. They lead him to the back of the ship and into the deck below. Haru looked up at me and I turned to him. "Think you can help me?"

He nodded and I yelled back at the captain at the ship's wheel. Him and the other two men on the ship looked at the thing in the water coming closer. "Keep going! We'll take care of this!" Haru and I jumped out onto the water and began running toward the shadow. Every step, goose bumps ran up my arms and as I pulled a kunai out, I watched Haru. His face was serious but he had a smile. His eyes were bright and excitement emitted from his movements. He was able to keep up with me even though I was running fast.

We came up to the shadow and we stopped just a few feet from it. We waited for a moment. The water was still and quiet. The ship behind us was now a dot in the corner of my eye. Suddenly, the water around us exploded. A hard waterfall fell over my head as I jumped back. Beads of water on my eyelashes blurred my vision but I blinked them away and searched the water. Haru landed at my side, drenched in water. We both looked up and tilted our heads at the think blocking out the sun.

It was big, I was probably the size of it's big, blue eye that gazed down at us. It looked like a snake, but it's head was shaped differently, more rounded. It was green and had vicious looking spikes that stuck out of it's back. It's teeth were twice my size in length and were sharp, like a dagger. It opened it's mouth and screeched.

Haru's hands went to his hears immediately but I shivered and forced the headache back. It was high pitched and sounded like a tortured, dying animal. I flung my kunai and watched it dig into the creature's throat. It stopped screaming by making a little yelp. It's attention then turned on me, more angry than in pain, it gave another short screech and dove into the water.

Haru and I jumped high in the air but it came up under us. I grabbed Haru's hand and looked him in the eyes. "Go back to the ship."

"What?" he looked at me, obviously worried and scared. I gave him a smile as I felt the familiar feel of adrenaline surge through me.

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing." I grabbed his arm and used our weight to fling us away from each other. I watched his outstretched hand as he cleared a sharp tooth and escaped the darkness that came from below me and swallowed me up.


End file.
